Material Performance Evaluation for Customized Orthoses: Compression, Flexural, and Tensile Tests Combined with Finite Element Analysis
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Orthoses are commonly used for treating injuries to improve the quality of life of patients, with customized orthoses offering significant benefits. Additive manufacturing, especially fused deposition modelling, enhances these benefits by providing faster, more precise, and more comfortable orthoses. The present study evaluates nine polymeric materials printed in horizontal and vertical directions by assessing their performance through compressive, flexural, and tensile tests. Among all materials, polycarbonate, polylactic acid, and ULTEMTM 1010 showed the most promising results, not only because they had the highest mechanical values, but also due to their minimal or no difference in performance between printing directions, making them advantageous in orthoses fabrication. Based on this, a finite element model of an ankle–foot orthosis was developed to simulate the deformation, strain, and stress fields under static conditions. The findings aim to optimize material selection for orthotic fabrication, where ULTEMTM 1010 is presented as the material with improved performance and durability.
Source: Polymers
Institutions: Universidade de Leiria e Oeste, Universidade do Porto, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Albel Salazar, University of Coimbra, University of Lisbon, Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo da Performance Humana, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society
Language: English
Subfield: Automotive Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,069
Awards: G1255518574, G1379265582, G1879183052, G2213036399, G2253858216, G2374330595, Unidade de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Engenharia Mecânica e Industrial - UNIDEMI, Unidade de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Engenharia Mecânica e Industrial - UNIDEMI, G3507939551, Centro para o Desenvolvimento Rápido e Sustentado de Produto, G465910089, G5405653187, G6328501717, G704622720, Centro para o Desenvolvimento Rápido e Sustentado de Produto, Produção Avançada e Sistemas Inteligentes, G8431692802, Centro de Engenharia Mecânica, Materiais e Processos (CEMMPRE)
OpenAlex ID: W4402417376